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In 1961, HAM the chimpanzee became the first upright hominid to go into space. After his death in 1983, he was interred at the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
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April 27, 2010

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Sirius the Dog

(Associated Press)

The memory of the only known canine casualty of September 11, 2001, is in good company. Sirius, a 4-year-old golden Labrador retriever who perished when the World Trade Center’s South Tower collapsed, has a marker near the War Dog Memorial in the Hartsdale, New York Pet Cemetery & Crematory.

Sirius and his handler, David Lim, worked for the New York/New Jersey Port Authority inspecting vehicles that came to the World Trade Center. On the morning of September 11, the duo was in their office in the South Tower basement when the first plane hit the adjoining tower. Lim put his partner into his crate and promised he’d be back after the situation was clear.

While in the North Tower, Lim got trapped in debris. Five hours later, he was freed and ran back to get Sirius. But by then, the South Tower had collapsed, taking the dog with it.

Lim’s final reunion with his dog came on January 22, 2002, when workers found Sirius’ remains. He was cremated at Hartsdale, and Lim kept the ashes. Shortly afterward, the cemetery installed a memorial for Sirius. Each June, he and all other creatures who have helped mankind are honored with a special ceremony (this year scheduled for June 13).

Sirius also has a dog run named after him in Battery Park City’s Kowsky Plaza, on the southern tip of Manhattan.

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